Sphere Over Sword
by Captain Stern
Summary: A Pokemon story of a different era, in a different world.


Few would take the road that traveled straight through Noval Forest.

Not that it was a bad road, quite the contrary. Its positioning placed it well away from where the tall grass grew, where the resident beasts dwelled. Easing through the flatter sections of the forests with little distress, walking the road itself was a fairly pleasant experience even now. Tall, powerful trees gave way to a shading canopy, and an utterly silent sort of serenity that seemed almost unnatural. Indeed, it felt as though the heads of the trees were casting a luminescent breed of green upon all below, tinting even the surface of Clarissa's cloak.

Rather, it was those often found about the road that ruined its reputation-people that Clarissa was currently testing the reputation of. They emerged from the bushes, they circled around from behind the trees. Their heavy boots stomped the otherwise unbothered grass, their dull chuckles and arrogant smirks wrecking an otherwise beautiful scenery. They all wore masks, though such devices did little to hide their identities-after all, the wooden disguises only encircled the eyes, and sported long, pointed noses that drew attention to the face. They seemed mostly ill equipped for an ambush; their numbers were meager, their bodies clad in leather and cloth but nothing truly armored. Their trump card, however, quickly shuffled in from the back of their ranks-the weapon with which they strong armed passersby, building their infamy as Noval's band of local thieves.

The creature stood about three feet tall, give or take, and sported a wooden mask like the men that encircled it. It was very likely, however, that the entity's mask was not a mask at all; indeed, the thing's body was almost entirely formed of wood or something like it, save for the leaf that sprouted from atop its head. It resembled a human in many facets, albeit contorted as a caricature. Its long arms, its flat feet, its impish build... over all giving an air of mischief, revealing its status as a tamed monster. It was difficult to tell which among the thieves was its master, as their dress was all similar. This was no doubt intentional; if the creature's leader were targeted and killed, the beast would once more roam free-possibly turning its attention to the rest of the group in rebellious fashion.

The thieves began to spread out, partly surrounding Clarissa. Their knuckles cracked, their smirks heightened as she stood in silence, unresponsive; she didn't run, she didn't fight. She merely waited, expectant of their incoming demands. She would be satisfied, one young man toward the back finally speaking up. "All your money, all your valuables... or you don't make it outta these woods." It was a simple enough statement, but not one which Clarissa had any intent of complying with. The men were confident that she as unarmed, or at least not well enough to defeat their monster. Had she been equipped for combat, she'd have taken the more direct path straight through the grassy section of the forest-boldly battling her way through monster after monster in a bloody but efficient show of heroism. If she were smart but unarmed, she could have taken the long way around the forest; it would have added several days' time to her travels, but she'd have avoided the so-called Thieves' Point.

But alas, here was Clarissa-neither strong enough for the tall grass, nor smart enough to go around. She portrayed herself as vulnerable; a foreigner no doubt, unaccustomed to "how things are." It was this air of weakness that made revealing her weaponry all the more satisfying. While most were able enough to hide their fear, a few men began to nervously fidget as she slid a single sphere from beneath her cloak. The orb had a smooth surface, etched with runic sigils and ancient designs. It was holy iconography, the bronze-in-white hinting at the holy might entrenched in this young woman's defenses. It wasn't a device of local design to be sure, but a few of the thieves were scarcely shaken by the sight; there was no reason to believe her aid could combat their mighty warrior.

The toss she provided the sphere was casual at best. She could no longer contain herself, Clarissa allowing a sordid smile to finally break her lips as the sphere shattered, disappearing in a burst of magnificent light. It was a glow the likes of which the thieves had never seen, a sound not unlike the sighing of angels emerging from the soft explosion. In its wake stood a quadrepedal dinosaur-like creature, shorter than the thieves' but much stouter, much more imposing. Bone protruded from sections of its thick hide, tinted with gray like a heavy metal-culminating in design with a very distinctly armored face, giving the impression that the small monster was wearing a helmet. The cockiness of the thieves was shattered as Clarissa's guardian emerged, this creature-though small-being unlike anything they'd encountered in their journeys. It was an unfamiliar breed, a beast from afar... and that element of mystery made it dangerous enough. Clarissa's voice was bold, unwavering. It was the first words she'd spoken in front of the thieves, the steadiness in her tone hinting that she was far more than they'd expected.

"I invoke thee... Shieldon."

As if prompted the armored animal gave a short sort of sound, like a dulled hammer ringing off a heavy bell. Its stout feet adjusted to its newfound environment, the monster ready for combat. Clarissa calmly pulled her hood back, revealing a smooth, rather pale face and long, very lightly blond hair. "I've come for information. If you've no desire to fight, I-" Her attempt at diplomacy was cut short, as the master of the opposing monster verbally revealed himself. "Nuzleaf, take 'er out! Kill the girl!"

The wooden imp would act on its orders. With frightening speed it would launch from its spot, kicking grass up in its wake as it shot toward Clarissa. She instinctively prepared to dodge, her position shifting, her knuckles clenching-though as fast as Nuzleaf had acted, she would have never been able to avoid it, the creature almost a blur. It was fortunate, then, that Shieldon was present; even as Nuzleaf lept into the air to try and circumvent the armored guardian, Shieldon was likewise jumping upward to intercept. The sound of the two Pokemon colliding would echoe across the forest, Nuzleaf's tightened fist slamming into the thick helmet of its opponent. More blows connected before the two even hit the ground, Nuzleaf moving with blinding speed... and yet, unable to penetrate Shieldon's impressive defenses. With the subtlest of motions, Clarissa's Pokemon would lean in, ever so slightly bucking its head-and yet, with enough power to launch Nuzleaf into a nearby tree. Bark splintered beneath the imp's weight, but he quickly recovered.

The thieves were now beginning to sweat. Never before had their Nuzleaf encountered such opposition. On any other day, his incredible reflexes would be more than enough to take out a victim and their Pokemon alike-that Shieldon was not only defending its trainer but putting up a mighty showing of its own, that... that was unexpected. Unnerving, even.

Landing on the ground with some manner of grace, Nuzleaf's eyes would narrow intently as he focused. Shieldon prepared for the worst, but Nuzleaf was doing something different-his throat eminating a noise much like an erratic chirping. He strained, he struggled-and with a burst of very thin green mist, the wooden texture of his body firmed more distinctly, as if he had hardened the very material that formed his body. He would shoot forward again, skidding across the grass at that same break neck speed-and surely enough, Shieldon's counter attack would find much less exciting results in this iteration. Slamming his head against Nuzleaf, he'd find that the wooden beast had strengthened his resolve, improved his defenses; when Shieldon would push, Nuzleaf would push back.

The two would trade blows for several moments, their respective trainers watching on with stunned silence. Clarissa, though much more composed about her concern, was still more than a little scared that her Pokemon wouldn't hold up-she was almost as in the dark about its strength as the thieves were. Her lips parted, as though ready to provide some manner of advice-but nothing came out, Clarissa's nerves stopping her words just short. Only the sound of wood against stone and metal would keep the quiet at bay, Nuzleaf hurling rapid, successive punches against Shieldon's occassional headbutts and rammings. It would be the enemy trainer, the thief, that would finally break the monotony. "Nuzleaf, this isn't goin' anywhere! You need to get bigger!"

With a solid shove Shieldon would push Nuzleaf away, the devilish forest creature rolling through the grass before finding its footing. It would glance up with a vile smirk, hinting that he had taken such a blow on purpose-to find an excuse to clear the distance. Another sharp chittering ensued, a green-brown outline flowing around his form... and as suggested, Nuzleaf's body would swell. Clarissa's eyes widened, heart pounding harder in her chest as she watched in horror-Nuzleaf expanding, adding another several feet to his height. Shieldon seemed unshaken, standing his ground firmly even as he stared up at the approaching imp-the imp that would promptly twist to the side, firing a kick that would propel Shieldon across the forest. The guardian was rocketed right out of sight, only the dull thud in the distance insinuating that he was still in the area.

Clarissa began to stumble backward nervously, gloved hands fumbling within her cloak. It was no use-there was nothing else at her disposal, Shieldon having been the only Pokemon in her arsenal. Nuzleaf was almost as large as she was as he began trudging toward her, grinning a very insidious grin. With his speed, she could have already been dead, but the monster was toying with her. He was enjoying the sudden freedom, uninterrupted by her aid-and the band of thieves offered their encouragement. They laughed, they mocked, relieved that Shieldon was out of the way, relieved that they would continue living their miserable little lives.

All of that relief, that sadistic joy would warp from their faces as a sharp rock abruptly slammed into the side of Nuzleaf's face.

The Pokemon would stop, turning its gaze to direction it had hurled Shieldon... just in time for another rock to smash against its hardened body. And another. And another, this one large enough to nearly take Nuzleaf off its feet. Just as one of the thieves began to speak, an entire torrent of the stones came surging past, like a river washing Nuzleaf downstream. The grass-type creature was sent tumbling, nearly breaking a tree in half as it, and a wave of stones, came crashing. Shieldon's small body pursued the onslaught of stones at a furious speed, the steel-rock creature hurdling straight into Nuzleaf-and finishing the job of shattering that tree, forcing the collected humans to scatter from beneath the path of its fall.

By the time everyone had gathered their wits, the fight was well finished with. Nuzleaf was battered and damaged, not to mention shrunken back to his original height. Shieldon stood over him, eyes locked on the band of thieves; save for one very distinct bruise around his ribcage, he seemed perfectly fine. Clarissa breathed a heavy sigh, offering the most careful of nods to Shieldon before joining him in staring down the trembling enemy party. "...As I was saying. I'm here for information..."


End file.
